Homes for the homeless by James Furzer

Homes for the homeless – People don’t choose to be homeless
6500 people sleep rough on the streets of London every year. The ongoing effects of the economic downturn mean the number of people sleeping rough has increased rapidly in recent years, and projects often struggle to find the funding they need to deal with this rise.This is a 77% increase from 2010. They come from every walk of life, and vary dramatically in age. Anyone can become homeless. It is an issue that harms individuals, damages communities, yet in most cases it can be prevented.  It is time we changed our attitudes towards homeless people, they have the right to be treated with the same respect as anyone else.

The proposal will be to create lightweight modular parasitic sleeping pods that can be attached to the side of any host building or structure, allowing a safe haven for the homeless during a nights rest, sheltered from the harsh and unpredictable weather conditions of Britain. The system can sit as individual shelters or as a community of pods. The intent is to work closely with charitable organisations to donate a pod or community of pods to an area. As these will be a temporary shelter for the homeless, the charities will manage the general maintenance and monitor the pod availability for the homeless community.

Each pod comprises two steel frame sections that attach to a wall at two points each and then hold the structure together and in place. By raising the pods high enough, they can be installed above pavements and clear of pedestrian head-height. Access would be provided by way of ladders. I envisage the pods being monitored and maintained on a daily basis. Rules for appropriate usage and even times of use could be put in place, to ensure that the pods do not cause a hazard to pedestrians. It would be important, for example, that access ladders could be safely stowed and no objects could fall from the pods. If the pods are only allowed to be used of an evening, this eliminates any hazards of public walking beneath them during daytime hours.

The pods could potentially be installed in an alley that can then be secured at either end by gates, meaning when in use, the gates can be secured/closed eliminating pedestrians walking beneath during use. The pods are designed to be made on a budget with the material applications being of a variable nature. This will not only allow the costs of the pods to be kept to a minimum, but will also allow a material selection with a colour palette similar to that of the intended host building. Allowing the parasitic pod to blend in with its surroundings. The simple internal material selection provides a warm, dry, and comfortable environment for them to stay. This fundraising page gives you the peace of mind required to donate.

A team of experts within the fields are currently in discussion with us to help deal with the homeless crisis. I myself am an award winning architectural Technician with the mindset of helping others. Architecture is usually provided to those who can afford it. Lets bring it to those who cannot, and do something special with our talents. On average, homeless people die at just 47 years old. They are 35 times more likely to commit suicide than the average person. Two thirds of rough sleepers say they have been insulted by a member of the public, and one in ten say they have been urinated on. Homeless people are 13 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime than the general public, and are 47 times more likely to be a victim of theft. Source by James Furzer.

Location: London, UK
Architect: James Furzer
Fundraising page: Indegogo
Area: 6 m2
Year: 2015
Images: Courtesy of James Furzer